High-tension ignition amplifier



Aug. 26, 1930. vP. o. STEWART 1,774,339

HIGH TENSION IGNITION AMPLIFIER Filed May 1l 1930 mvemoa Marsan ammi-t.

QM ATTQRNEY Y Patented Aug. 26, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEHIGH-TENSION IGNITION AMPLIFIER Application led May 1, 1930. Serial No.448,986.

My present invention relates to improvements in spark amplifying meansfor use in high tension ignition systems in connection with gas engines,and located in the high tension leads and preferably between thehightension coil and distributor.

. An object of the invention is to provide an intensifying means toincrease the efficiency of the ignition system.

Another object ofthe invention resides in certain features ofconstruction and arrangement of the elements whereby constantly changinggaps are present in the ignition line.

A feature of the device consists of floating coordinating, electrodesfor producing rapidly changing contacts in a gas engine lgnitioncircuit.

Another object is to provide a means to enclose and -rotect theamplifier by a non-conduct-ing a sorbent casing of simple form, wherebyconsequent sweating may be absorbed, and to further protect theabsorptive casing by an external, rigid non-conducting outer casinghaving breather means therein.

A further object is to provide a quickly at. tached electricalconductive clip whereby the device may be readily and firmly attached tothe distributor or coil means without the use of tools.

My invention may take the general form of a loosely joined coupling andmay comprise a cageor frame member of insulating or non-conductingmaterial, such as fiber or the like. The cage may have one or moreopenings therethrough for the reception of a number of floatingelectrodes and being large enough to permit universal movement thereof,said electrodes confined or held captive by parallel plate extensions orportions of suitably formed clips or yokes pivoted to the end portionsof the cage or frame member. From one of the clips or yokes a screwshank may project, on which an expandible spring metal clip member maybe carried in threaded relation for quick firm attachment to the mainsocket connection of a distributor, coil, or timer head.

The screw shank also passes loosely through a centrally arranged openingof a closure assu-:n

plate and an insulating washer, both held 1n a clamped position, theplate resting a ainst and enclosing an end of a preferab y cylindricalnon-conducting casing, by a clamp nut.

To complete the construction of the improved device, I secure to theopposite clip or yoke, by a rivet, or other means, a closure platesimilar to the one above mentioned, an insulating washer and aconductive tubular socket to receive in anchored relation, an end of theservice conductor.

To provide an efiicient seal at the ends of the cylindrical casing andto properly center the electrode cage therein, I form the closure plateswith rolled peripheral edges to provide an annular channel whichencloses the end portions of the cylindrical casing.

Various advatages inherent to my invention both in structure andfunction, other than those here enumerated will appear from thehereinafter detailed description.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partially fragmentary and sectional, ofcoordinating elements of a gas engine ignition circuit with my improvedvibratory secondary high tension spark intensifier arranged between theignition coil and the distributor for service.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partially sectional side elevation of theintensifier device removed from the ignition circuit.

Fig. 3 is a vertical central section thereof, the section being on theline 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of cage member showing twogroups or gangs of fioating electrodes and a double cage construction.

Fig. 5 is a vertical central sectional eleva-1 tion taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section of the double cage construction.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of the single (fzage construction showinga slightly modified orm.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view 'of a dual walled protector casing.

Fig. 9 is a plan view thereof, partially broken away. i

Referring' now to the drawings in detail,

10 designates my improved vibratory secondary high tension amplifier'device, installed in an ignition circuit 1l, connecting the usual hightension coil 12 which is connected to a source of current A-B, adistributor 13 and spark plugs, one only being shown at 14.

The construction of the improved device may be described as follows: y

n one form a non-conducting cage member 15, Figs. 2 and 3, of fiber orother insulating material is provided with a centrallv arranged opening16, and end holes 17 to receive rivets 17 for pivotally connecting upperand lower conductive yoke members 18 and 19 respectively havingextending U-shaped side plates 20 which extend to partially overhang oroverlap the sides of the central opening 16,

V in the cage member, the ends of which are electrically spaced awayfrom one another, thereby providing a guarded chamber 21, adapted toreceive a plurality of loose electrodes 22, preferably of roller formand made of aluminum confined in loose relation with the walls thereof.The extended electrode ends of the yokes 18 and 19 are also of aluminumhave the additional function of forming a conductive part of theignition circuit.

To properly protect the structural elements just described and toprovide a supporting media therefor, I may provide, preferably, acylindrical shell or tubular casing 23 of insulating material, in thepresent instance of paper or pasteboard, which may be tightly closed atits ends by caps 211, having rolled,

= beaded edges 25, forming annular tube seating grooves 26, resting onand enclosing the end' portions of the tubular casing; see Fig. 3; andto position the cage member and its associated parts centrally withinthe casing, the closure caps 24 have centrally located apertures 27.

Connected to the lower clip 19 is a headed screw 28 which passesdownwardly through the lower closure cap 24C and through an insulatingdisk washer 29 on which a clamp nut 30 is clamped, and in free threadedengagement with said shank I provide an expandible U-shaped contact clip31, having its free outwardly flared ends forced into engagement with anannular groove 32, provided in a molded-in tubular socket 33 in thedistributor 13, by the expanding wedging action of the screw 28, asshown in Fig. 1.

In the various views, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the expander clip 31 is shown ascomprising a single strip of metal7 tapped at a to receive therein thethreaded end of the headed screw 28, said clip being bent down onopposite sides of said portion a with two legs b and c, these legs beinginbent towards 'each other and then bent out again to form two opposedoutstanding gripping lugs d and e. When in normal unexpanded position,Fig. 2, the lugs d and e may be freely entered into a distributor socketconnection 33 and when the screw 28 is screwed downwardl therein the endof the screw 28 strikes the in ent portions of the clip, and expandsthem into an outwardly expanded firm electrically conductive gripwiththe side walls of the distributor socket 33 or its customary clipgroove 32, Fio. 1.

ue to the action of the angular legs of the member 31, as described, itis obvious that it may be fitted or locked to a large variety ofdifferent dimensioned bores or sockets 32, and thus it is adapted to beadjustably locked to a wide variety of different distributors, coils orappurtenant circuit fittings from different sources of manufacture andunlike dimensional details.

The upper yoke 18 is secured to the upper closure plate 24 by a rivet 34passing through its central opening and through an insulating diskwasher and is clinched over the bottom of a tubular socket 35 designedto receive the remote end of an insulated conductor 36, in connectionwith the high tension coil 12 of the ignition system.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings illustrate, without the casing 10,aslightly modified construction embodying a double or seriesconstruction in which only one side of the yokes are extended to form aguard on one side of the electrode chambers 21, as shown at 37; theother side of the chambers 21 being closed by a centrally arranged andriveted longitudinally extending side conductive plate 38.

The construction in Fig. 7 shows a further modified single cageconstruction with opposite conductive side plates only of the upper andlower yokes extended partially over the cage opening as at 39 to confinethe electrodes 22 therein in movable conductive relation.

In the several views the electrodes are shown in several differentpositions to clearly show that in their constant movements within thechamber caused by engine vibration during running of the engine, theelectrodes and the confining conductive plates are in constantconductive vibrative contact.

Owing to the high tension current passing therethrough the vibrating orfloating electrodes 22 are being constant-ly coated with an oxide,normally non-conducting if allowed to collect, but which is vbeingconstantly broken down by the vibralive rolling action of saidelectrodes induced by the running engine. In the manufacture of thesedevices the electrodes may be lacquered so as to create an artificialcoating thereon which is quickly replaced by an oxide coating which isprevented from building up to an undesired thickness by the above notedvibrative, rolling action thereof.

Thus, the conductive parts 19, 18, 22, 37 are in reality in associatedcontact but are slightly insulated from each other by said coating.

yso

However, the said parts are always within conductive relation with eachother as confined and shown in the drawings.

The enclosing means or easing 10, Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is, in the formsthere shown, of tubular nature, and is preferably of an absorptivelnon-conducting nature. To this end I find that a pasteboard or papertube of suitable thickness is satisfactory for the reason that in anenclosed device of this nature there is a certain amount of interiorsweating, due to the condensation of moisture of the air within thedevice. Vhen condensation occurs, the Walls of the paste board tubereadily absorb all such moisture and prevent it, by such absorption,from condensing on the conductive parts of the device in circuit.

When it becomes desirable, a double protective housing may be utilized,as in Figs. 8 and 9, in which the inner protective member 10 may be of anon-conducting absorptive material and the outer housing 10 made of anon-conducting non-absorptive material,

such as a phenolic condensation compound,

and the holding caps 24 provided with la groove 24 and an added beadedgroove QF to hold both housings 10 and-l0 in spaced operative relation.The housing 10', has a series of breather holes therein, to permit theair Within the space betWeenSlO and 10 to equalize to atmosphere.

What I claim is:

l. In a device for the ignition system ot gas engines, an insulatingcasing, elongated floating electrodes mounted for relative vibrative'conducting movementsY Within said casing, and conductive elementscoordinating with the electrodes for the purpose specified.

2. In a device for the ignition system of gas engines, an insulatingcasing, closure means for the ends thereof, a plurality of floatingelongated and cylindrical electrodes within the casing. a support forsaid electrodes permitting relative universal movement thereof withindetermined limits, and conductive connections extending'through saidclosure means.

3.v In a device for the ignition systems of engines. an insulatingcasing, closure plates for the ends thereof. a. plurality of floatingelongated and Cylindrical electrodes capable of universal movementwithin the easing, a cage member supporting the eleci' trodes andconductive connections pivoted to the cage member and passing outwardlythrough said plates.

4. In a device for the ignition systems of gas engines, an insulatingcasing, closure plates provided with rolled edges forming annular rimseats for the ends of said casing, an insulating cage having a centralopening, elongated and cylindrical electrodes carried in said openingand of a size to permit of limited relative universal movement thereinand conductive connections coordinating with the electrodes for forminga series of rapidly changing air gaps when the engine is operating.

5. In a device for the 'ignition system of gas engines, a cylindricalmsulatingcasing, closure plates for the ends thereof, said plates havingcentral openings and rolled edges enclosing the extreme end portions ofsaid casing; elongated roller like electrodes, means for supporting theelectrodes in relative uniy versal floating relation and conductiveconnections coordinating with the said electrodes for forming a seriesof rapidly changing variable air gaps, said connections passing throughthe end plates of the casino'.

6. In a device for the ignition system of gas engines, an insulatingcasing, an insulating cage member provided With a central openingtherethrough, elongated electrodes universally movable in said opening,conductive plate members partially enclosing the sides of said openingand conductive means connected to the plate members and extendingoutwardly therefrom.

7. In a device for the ignition system of gas engines, an insulatingcasing, an insulating cage member arranged centrally therein and beingprovided with a central chamber, floating elongated and cylindricalelectrodes in said chamber, conductive means for pax-, tially closingthe sides of said chamber and pivoted to said cage member. and outwardlyprojecting conductive extensions coordinating with the electrodesthrough said closure means for producing rapidly changing air gaps.

8. In a device of the class specified, a supporting member, elongatedroller-like floating .electrodes held in conductive relation thereto,and a non-conducting absorptive casing enclosing said member.

` 9. A casing for protecting the electrodes of a gas engine high tensionignition circuit having walls of non-conducting absorptive material, forthe purpose specified, said electrodes consisting of elongated rollersoperable side by side Within said casing.

10. In a device for the ignition system of gas engines, in combination.a dual insulating casing, elongated cylindrical electrodes mounted tooperate side byl side for relative vibrative conducting movements withinsaid y ies 12. In a' device of the class s ecified, in combination, acasing comprismg spaced inner and outer members, the inner member ofnon-conductingabsorptive material,A the outer member of non-conductinvnonabsorptive material, closure plates fbr the ends of said casing, aplurality of elongated floating electrodes operable side by side forrelative universal movement Within the casing, a cage member supportingthe electrodes and conductive elements connected to the cage member andpassing outwardly through said plates.

13. In a device for the ignition system 0f\` gas engines a dual casingcomprising inner and outer members, the inner member of non-conductingabsorptive material, such as pasteboard and the outer member ofnonconducting non-absorptive material such as 'a phenolic condensationcompound; and a pairof elongated cylindrical roller electrodes 1 Withinsaid casing, operable side by side, and

,capable ofrelative universal movements.

14. In a device ofthe class described, an insulating plate having arectangular'chamber, elongated roller electrodes loosely dis-4 posed oneover another in said chamber, conductive plate members pivoted to saidplate at opposite sides of said chamber and eX- tending partiallyoverthe open sides of said chamber, and conductive means attached tosaid conductive. plate members, in combination with a casing ofabsorptive material for the purpose Set forth.

. 15. In a device of the class described, an insulating plate having achamber with open sides, a pair of elongated cylindrical electrodesnormally resting side by side Within said chamber and normally inContact one with the other from end to end, conductive means partiallyclosing the sides of the chamber to permit ofindependent universalmovement-s of said electrodes when engine vibration occurs, andelectrical connections attached to said conductive means, in combinationwith a casing of absorptive material, for the purpose set forth.

16. In a device of the class specified, comprising spark amplifyingmeans for Aconnection into the high tension ignition system ofgas-engines and a non-conducting absorptive casing surrounding saidspark amplifying meansvas and for the purpose specified.

Signed at New York, inthe county of New York, and State of New York,this 25th day of April, A. D. 1930.

PATTERSON 0. STEWART.

